Wastewater facility planned in Lake Twp.

A Berwick-based company applied to Luzerne County to build a facility for treating natural gas drilling wastewater in Lake Township.

Waveco Energy Services submitted a request for a use variance to build a recycling center to process water used in hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" - coincidentally, at a site once considered for natural gas drilling.

Luzerne County Planning Commission Acting Director Nancy Snee said the facility is slated for the 4-P Realty property off Meeker Outlet Road.

"It's in a pretty remote location in Lake Township," she said.

Waveco Energy plans to build the plant on land leased from the 605-acre 4-P Realty property, which county records show is owned by the partnership of Michael A. Patrician, Rodney J. Passeri, Joseph J. Passeri Jr. and John Passeri.

In 2010, Encana Oil & Gas USA Inc. had a natural gas lease on the property and intended to drill five wells and build a natural gas processing facility on it. However, the company discarded its plans when other exploratory wells in the area came up dry.

Fracking involves blasting millions of gallons of chemical-treated water deep underground to crack open the shale and release the gas. The water that comes back up is laced with chemicals and is highly saline from eons-old seawater deposits.

Snee said there wouldn't be any gas drilling-related activity on the 4-P Realty property.

"There's no drilling going on there," she said. "Just bring the water in; a couple days later, take the water out."

According to documents filed with the county:

Waveco plans to have up to 30 settling and storage tanks to hold the used fracking water until it can be returned to drilling sites for reuse. They will be 45 feet by 10 feet with a capacity of 20,000 gallons each. These tanks will be cleaned out periodically, and sediment and other such matter "will be handled and removed according to all applicable state and federal environmental requirements."

The fenced-in site would take up less than an acre and have controlled access points with security monitoring. Trucks would be registered and undergo a radiation inspection before unloading. Trained personnel would be on site during hours of operation, which would be between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., and the company anticipates fewer than 25 truck trips per week in the initial phases of the operation.

Snee said there would not be a physical building to house the facility. The only structure would be a caretaker's shack, she said.

Letters have been sent to property owners within 100 feet of the proposed site, Snee said.

She said a zoning hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 4 in the courthouse.

eskrapits@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2072

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